Sexual abuse victims seek justice from royal commission

Victims of sexual abuse in other religious communities have hailed the royal commission as a means of obtaining justice for crimes committed against them.

Transcript

EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: Victims of sexual abuse in non-Catholic communities have hailed the royal commission as a pathway to justice for crimes committed against them.

They're hoping the royal commission will encourage more victims to tell their stories. Lawyers say the commission could face a daunting caseload.

Hamish Fitzsimmons reports.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS, REPORTER: George Pell reminded people the Catholic Church is not the only organisation to be scrutinised.

GEORGE PELL, CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY: Good things about this royal commission is it doesn't focus exclusively on us. I don't think we should be scapegoated.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: There are abuse victims from many other organisations, both state and religious, who hope the commission will bring the crimes against them to light. Manny Waks says he was sexually abused at a Jewish school in the 1980s.

MANNY WAKS, ABUSE VICTIM: It is much broader than the Catholic Church. This is one of the major differences between the experience of the Jewish community and the Catholic Church is the Catholic Church we've all been aware of the allegations of the child sexual abuse scandal over decades. This is only a very new reality for the Jewish community.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: Giving evidence to a royal commission, Mr Waks says, will give victims a very public voice.

MANNY WAKS: This is an opportunity for me to have my allegations of abuse acknowledged and accepted as the truth. It's something that I've been keeping to myself for many, many years - for decades in fact - and it's burden that I've had to walk around with, much like many other victims in my situation.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: Lawyer Josh Bornstein has been campaigning for a royal commission. He believes it will reveal the full extent of child abuse in Australia.

JOSH BORNSTEIN, LAWYER: There is said to be enormous under-reporting of the problem, and it may be that the royal commission will be the first opportunity that we get much more of a handle on the extent of the problem. I think it will be shocking and distressing, but I also think it will be a very positive process and a positive journey.

ANGELA SDRINIS, LAWYER: I don't think we will move on as a society unless this terrible issue is dealt with. And we've seen in other countries - Canada, the Republic of Ireland - where there has been a truth and reconciliation and redress process. There's been a good outcome.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: Angela Sdrinis is a lawyer that represents many abuse victims from non-Catholic or state institutions. She said the commission should build on work already done by previous and current state government or Senate inquiries.

ANGELA SDRINIS: I believe the royal commission, one of its roles should be to collect and analyse that information and not reinvent the wheel.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: The way many religious groups are legally structured though may make legal or financial redress difficult.

ANGELA SDRINIS: The Catholic Church, the Salvation Army, the Uniting Church and others are all organised in such a way that the only legal entity that exists is a property trust. The property trust is incorporated to own and manage property, and they had nothing to do with the supervision of priests or the running of homes.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: The structure of the commission is yet to be determined but its powers and cooperation with the states will be crucial to its success according to Josh Bornstein.

JOSH BORNSTEIN: I think we'll see in coming weeks some discussions between the Federal Government and the state governments about these issues and what to do with the state inquiries that are going on in at least two states at the moment. It's clearly undesirable to have a multiplicity of inquiries at Federal and state level which deal with similar subject matter and have enormous potential to overlap. That's got to be addressed, I think, very quickly.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: The commission is expected to start early next year. How long it will take isn't known.

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